The Empress
by Kimmy Malfoy
Summary: Kathryn has to leave her crew...JC- updated :)
1. Prologue

Empress part 3 

Why? She kept asking herself that forsaken question. It had all been normal, almost boring, in space until they had encountered this race. Human in appearance, inhumane in actions. They had immediately decided to tractor Voyager upon its arrival in their tiny hunk of space. Their planet must have been as small as if not smaller than Mercury and as captain, she had decided since that little, pathetic excuse for a planet was M class it would be a good opportunity for relaxation. She'd be dammed if anything went wrong, and of course, in true Delta Quadrant fashion, it had. One minute she had been negotiating, the next Voyager was being attacked, and members of the crew began randomly disappearing until only she and Chakotay were left on the bridge… She then watched as he disappeared right before her eyes and she was all alone. Emitting a heavy sigh, she realized that this was an awkward and vaguely familiar situation… 

The "humans" appeared on her view screen again, and she just wanted to blast phasers and photon torpedoes at their little planet until it was destroyed. But her urge was quickly stifled when she saw the faces of her crew, bound and gagged, with phasers, or something like them, pointed at Harry, Chakotay, and even little Naomi Wildman. She felt her eyes water. She couldn't fly home by herself, at least not with out Chakotay, and she had to admit, she didn't think she would want to fly home if it meant Tom wasn't at the helm and Naomi was not tagging along, following her every where… she decided to beam down. 

She had met him then, the king of the tiny planet called Destino… Destiny… He had told her they would all die, her whole crew, if Voyager was not surrendered. She fought and argued with him until they had both agreed that if he could not have Voyager, he would claim her captain as his bride. As she beamed back aboard the ship with her crew she could only hope that they made it home… that they would come back for her. Entering her quarters she ordered the computer for the lights. _So it begins…_ she thought as the doors hissed shut. 


	2. It begins

Was this to be her fate? Was this what she had given up her ship for? Was this what she had given up her crew, her friends, her best friend, her love for? She stared at the crown that sat upon the bed. She, Kathryn Janeway, was to be the empress of this planet, one not so different from Earth.   
  
The crew had assembled on the ship, lined up as when they had first boarded Voyager. The captain entered. She had given herself up, agreed to marry another man to save her ship from destruction. As the crew stood, a mass of gold, red and blue uniforms, she felt her eyes tear up. She didn't want to leave; these people were her family. Her eyes scanned the room, The Doctor, Seven, Harry, they were all there to say goodbye. She stepped down the stairs in the hanger where her shuttle waited as her eyes kept scanning the room for one face. The only face she wanted to see, the face she needed to see, Chakotay's.   
  
She walked up to the members of her senior staff and shook hands with each one. She told them each a little something, a little way to remember her.   
"Tom, remember who saved you in New Zealand, you owe me one. Marry B'Elanna that's my one final request of you." Tom smiled, always the Captain till the end, but he did something different.   
"I'll ask her, you have my promise, Kathryn." She smiled as he used her name for the first and last time. She paid her respects to the rest of her crew, until she reached the end of the row. She looked up to see her first officer standing, tears in his eyes.   
"Chakotay," she placed a hand on his chest, and he covered it with his own. " Please, I have one thing to ask of you..." the tears began to flow freely from her eyes now. " Don't speak just yet, let me say what I need to say." He nodded gently. " I feel that after five years on board this ship, I have truly found something special. It took me too long to realize and I'm sorry for all the pain I may have caused you all these years. I know now though, that our friendship wasn't the only important thing. I love you; I had the moment I met you when we met the Caretaker, and I still love you. I always will. And my favor to ask of you is that we may share one final moment together. Kiss me… I'm no longer the captain, protocol doesn't matter, and I'm finally free to be Kathryn." With that he reached down gently and captured her lips. Softy at first his lips moved against hers, the kiss intensified, her tongue dancing with his, unified together, knowing they would never meet again. He drew her closer to him, and their bodies seared at first contact, desperately wanting more, knowing they couldn't have more.   
  
As they slowly broke apart, they were in tears. "Kat" he whispered, unable to say her full name. " I love you, and you know that my heart is bound to you Kathryn, it always will remain yours." He lifted his hand and took her fingers, intertwined in his and kissed them. She sighed, content for a brief moment. " I think, Chakotay, that I have found what I have been looking for, I've found peace, just like my angry warrior did so many years ago."  
  
He smiled at her for the last time. She released his hand reluctantly, and stated "You have the bridge, good luck Captain, get everyone home…" her voiced faded away. This was it, this was goodbye. Slowly she walked toward the shuttle that awaited her. A gentle buzz of voices took over the shuttle bay. She was just at the entry when she glanced over her shoulder and looked right at Chakotay. They held each other's gaze for what seemed to be an eternity. He started to speak… then stopped and walked toward her. He took her into his arms and whispered " don't look back, it will be harder to let go."  
"It's too hard to let go now…"  
" The pain will wear away Kathryn, you know that… in time you'll forget me, and everyone else. You'll have a new life."  
"I'll never forget you"  
"Yes you will, the memories will fade with time, you won't remember what I look like" She reached up and traced her finger along his features, lingering on the tattoo.   
" No. I may forget everyone else on this ship, but I swear, I would die if I forgot you, die if I could not remember you're smile, you're kiss, you're laugh…"  
Her comm badge beeped. "Captain, we're ready for take off." Slowly she retracted her hand from his cheek, with tears in her eyes she walked away from her love, from her family, from her friends, from her crew, from her ship. As she was just about to turn, she remembered Chakotay's words. "Don't look back Kathryn, don't look back". But as the shuttle departed, she looked back, they were gone, she knew they would be. They were all gone, she was alone, and it was so hard not to look back, not to think of Chakotay, not to think of her home, not to cry. A lone tear slipped down her cheek as she watched Voyager jump to warp.   
"Resume coarse for home Mr. Paris" she whispered.   
"Engage"


	3. So it ends

The Empress: part 2   
  


By: Kimmy Malfoy 

Rated PG- 13 for darkness   
  


Her long green gown flowed behind her in an exquisitely detailed train. The tears formed in her eyes. How she hated them, every last one. They had abandoned her, left her here on this world, alone. She looked to the stars every night whispering her disdain for them, the crew she had trusted. They let her go they didn't fight for her. She hustled past the servants, her new crew, and her new family. There he stood, tall proud, dressed in black to counter her own emerald color. Her eyes burned with tears; there he stood, her husband, the man who had forced this fate upon her. But they didn't care. A lone tear found its way down her cheek; twisting and turning at every line that had formed since she had arrived. The last few months had rendered many a gray hair that permeated her auburn color. Her hair was twisted in curls, decorated with tiny white flowers, all arranged around her sparkling diamond crown. Why was she here? Why did _he _let her go? "Don't look back" she heard the voice whisper. She looked to sky, knowing he was out there and whispered to the stars "I hate you, you traitor, I hate you..." she didn't mean it, not a single word, and that night she would cry for her lost love, she would weep in despair for her first officer, she would weep for Chakotay.   
  


"My love" he says looking into her eyes, taking her hand "we are to be at the banquet soon." She looked up at the tall, pale figure that stood before her, he was so different from him, _from_the man she loved. His slender, cold fingers grasped hers like a snake curls about its prey. She froze at his touch, as she had done the moment she became his wife. She had saved Voyager and her crew, but had sacrificed herself, her love and had become the queen to this wretch of a king. Another tear fell, she knew that she would never return home, never be with her family again. He looked down at her slender form and kissed her cheek. His icy lips seared her skin as he kissed her tears. "Why do you cry my dear? Are you not happy here?" his voice was smooth and foreboding, threatening her, daring her to counter his question, daring her to respond. She merely smiled up at him "I am happy, my lord, happy that I am yours." His devilish grin burned through her eyes. "I am glad that you know your place." She knew her place she was subservient. She was nothing but his whore who put on a gown and faced the throngs of eager men and women, the masses who adored their new queen who would produce an heir. She grimaced at the thought, he had reduced her, Captain Kathryn Janeway, to nothing but a slave, catering to his wish, being driven by his demands, being tortured by his madness.   
  


The night came quickly. The moon engulfed the sun as Kathryn sat facing the window of the banquet hail. She belonged up there, watching the moon and the stars, not sitting here, trapped by formality and protocol. How ironic it was to curse the ideals she once held so dear. Protocol had ruined her here, reduced her to a machine that functioned the same way from morning to night, always with the same calculated responses. The clouds covered the moon as he walked over to her. She knew that tonight would be no different than the others. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. They waltzed, never speaking, never once moving close to each other. The distance, the formality, it  was all so dry and pedantic. The dance ended and he grasped her arni tightly and she knew what would transpire. They formally exited the banquet room, and he took her to his room, and as he did every night ordered her to be a submissive whore and be his lover yet again. She tried not to cry as he assaulted her; it was easier now, now that this had been going on for three months. She was used to his cruelty. She tried to think of Chakotay, and how gently he had kissed her goodbye, as this terror of a man tortured her. Each morning was worse than the night. They would go to the doctor, and he would inevitably tell them that Kathryn was not pregnant. Then he would grab her and take her to his room and beat her. The dresses that she wore covered the bruises, all except one. The scar on her forehead would forever remind her of him, this bastard who took pleasure in hitting her, every day. She dreaded his wrath. It was rather funny to her, how she was afraid of a skinny man when she had faced down the Borg and come face to face with Hirogen. But he had been there, her pillar of strength, the man who would never let her be irrational, her gentle warrior who pledged his life and allegiance to her. She looked the mirror. Her eyes were glossy, the life was gone, her skin was pale, her hair disheveled. How awful she looked, how dreadful she felt. She opened her drawer. She was confined to her room everyday until the evening when the whole cycle would repeat.   
His smile glared at her. Tom had taken this picture. They were on shore leave, five months ago, and he was looking at her, his eyes sparkling, his dimples reflecting his happiness. Kathryn looked at herself. She was content as she held his arm, her eyes dancing as she looked into his, her smile beautiful and she could here his laugh, that infectious sound. She held the picture close to her chest and collapsed onto the bed in a pathetic heap. She was defeated; she did not have the energy to go on. She just couldn't take the pain. She needed him, to hold her, to tell her that she was beautiful, that she was strong, that they would be together no matter what. She fell asleep dreaming of his touch, and his smile. She awoke to a pounding on her door. He wanted her again, she dreaded this moment when he would tell her to get dressed and meet him for dinner. The saucy sweetness of his words sickened her. She opened the door and looked to the ground. A hand reached for her chin, to lift her face. She closed her eyes as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She braced herself for the iciness of his touch.   
  


His skin touched hers, and she shuddered, but his skin was not cold. It was warm, full of life and she opened her eyes, knowing that it could not be him, She saw a tan hand move gently up her face. She looked up to see who this man was, to see who dared touch the queen this way. Her eyes widened as she saw the face of the man who held her so tenderly. 'Chakotay" she whispered as she looked into his eyes. She exhaled the breath she was unaware she had been holding and moved into his arms. She suddenly became self- conscious. She was thinner than before, he would notice that when he held her. She shrunk back from his embrace and turned her face away, back into the shadows of her room so he would not be able to see her like this, weak and abused. He grabbed her hand, gently as not to hurt her, but forceful enough so she knew not to move away. "Captain, Kathryn, look at me, let me see your face." She whimpered a bit as she turned into the light. The black and blue markings and the dried blood on her lip struck Chakotay like photon torpedo. He took her hands and lifted them to his lips, only to find that small cuts lingered all over her hands. His look of shock quickly turned to one of remorse. He took her into his arms and both of them began to cry. Chakotay kissed her hair and forehead over and over as he whispered her name. "Who did this to you Kathryn my love, _who?" _She looked up into his eyes and whispered "He did" She couldn't even bear to call her husband by his name. It was too painful; he did not deserve to have a name, nor the kindness of any of his people. "The king?" The Indian's soft voice comforted her, shielded her from the terror that lurked in the shadows of the palace. Chakotay's arms protected her from the snake that approached from behind. "Leave off of her, or I'll kill her" his slimy voice crooned. "If you touch her, you won't live to see the sun rise you filthy bastard." Chakotay's voice was calm and reserved. "Leave Kathryn alone". She put her hand on his arm, and managed to choke out a few words. "Please, Chakotay, don't do this, I can't bear to have you killed. ." her voice drifted as she collapsed into his arms. Her eyes closed as she fell against his body. He lifted her up and tapped his commbadge. "Harry, two to transport directly to sickbay." The small voice replied "Aye sir" The sulking snake, Kathryn's husband turned to face the blue beams that faded away and he laughed. She was just one of the women in the Delta Quadrant, there were many more that he could torment. Just then he turned to face the blue beams again and felt a searing pain through his chest. A phaser. He was dying and he cursed the tan skinned man and the woman for her insolence. He collapsed, a heap on the floor, dead.   
  


Chakotay stood by Kathryn as the doctor examined her wounds. The doctor shook his head as he ran the tricorder over the sleeping Captain. "Well Commander, it seems that the Captain has sustained much damage to her person. She has two broken ribs, massive bruising to her entire body, not to mention a rather large size gash on her forehead and mal nourishment. She's in bad shape sir, but there's nothing that I can't fix, except for one thing. She has most likely received massive psychological damage and that takes time to repair. She'll need someone she trusts to be by her side, someone logical..." Chakotay took her hand and looked down at her battered form. "I'll get Tuvok." Just then Kathryn's eyes fluttered open. "No." she said quietly. "No, I want you to be there for me, you always have been..." Chakotay leaned down and kissed her cheek as the doctor sedated the weak Captain.   
  


Two months later she stood on the bridge and stared out at the moving stars. Slowly she turned to face Tom Paris and in her most Captain- like voice she took a deep breath and stated: "Set a course of home Mr. Paris" and she heard it, the words that she had not heard for five months, "Aye, Aye captain." She looked toward her first officer and smiled at him. He had helped her overcome her darkest fears, her nightmares and she knew now that she had always loved him and always would. Forever. She turned her back on the view screen and sat in her chair. "Welcome back, Captain" she smiled at Chakotay and took his hands in hers, leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. "Mr. Paris," he turned to face her as the authority in her voice returned she knew she was finally back where she belonged. "Engage


End file.
